I have a problem with rainwater recycling. This isn’t in the general, “I have a beef with it” sense but in the sense that my living situation — I live in a balcony-less, fourth-floor walk-up in Brooklyn — doesn’t exactly make it easy. Like outdoor line-drying, harvesting rainwater for landscaping (or plant-watering) purposes is one of those basic, not-necessarily-difficult household eco-habits that I know I’d be doing if the logistics were less complex.

If only I had outdoor space beyond a not-so-private fire escape so I could invest in young Dutch designer Bas van der Veer’s Raindrop Mini, a handy-dandy rainwater harvesting/plant watering product specifically designed for the balconies of space-strapped urban dwellings. A smaller version of the award-winning, garden-hose-ready Raindrop, the Raindrop Mini is basically a drainage tube that plugs into balcony storm drains with an integrated watering can built into the middle of it. After a big rain, just remove the watering can and give your indoor and outdoor plants a drink. No wasting of tap water necessary.

The Raindrop Mini is made from recyclable polyethylene in the Netherlands by pottery firm Elho and according to the Studio Bas van der Veer, it’s available for sale at garden stores across Europe. The watering can is available in several eye-catching colors and can be sold separately. No word when and if the device will become available outside of Europe.

I think the Raindrop Mini is an incredibly beautiful, useful, and urbanite-friendly product. Now if only I had a balcony … Do you like what you see?

This is a simple, cost-effective way of getting into rainwater harvesting but it really is only for small quantities. If you have a roof, you have an ideal collection surface for rain water. Rainwater can be used for irrigation, filling swimming pools, toilet flushing and for drinking (after appropriate filtration). Many people forget how precious water is when good rainfall is occurring (as in many parts of South Africa at the moment). This is actually the time that the most attention should be given to rainwater harvesting so that you have stored rainwater for the dry season. Now is the time to invest in rainwater systems and rainwater tanks.

Contact us for a FREE QUOTE on a solar water geyser, rainwater harvesting system (see rainwater FAQ), gray water system or water tank (we are authorised JoJo Tanks dealers and supply and install the full range of JoJo water tanks and JoJo tank stands). Our water tank prices are hard to beat in the Mpumalanga & Limpopo Lowveld.